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A good digital thermometer keeps me from serving dry overcooked food or dangerously undercooked food. You can get a professional grade, fast and precise splashproof thermometer like the Thermopop (above) for about $24. The Thermapen (below), the Ferrari of instant reads, is about $96. It's the one you see all the TV chefs and all the top competition pitmasters using. Click here to read more about types of thermometer and our ratings and reviews.

GrillGrates(TM) amplify heat, prevent flareups, make flipping foods easier, produce great grill marks, keep small foods from committing suicide, kill hotspots, are easier to clean, flip over to make a fine griddle, smolder wood right below the meat, and can be easily removed and moved from one grill to another. You can even throw wood chips or pellets or sawdust between the rails and deliver a quick burst of smoke to whatever is above. Every gas grill and pellet smoker needs them.

If you have a Weber Kettle, you need the amazing Smokenator and Hovergrill. The Smokenator turns your grill into a first class smoker, and the Hovergrill can add capacity or be used to create steakhouse steaks.

Absolutely positively without a doubt the best bargain on a smoker in the world.

This baby will cook circles around the cheap offset sideways barrel smokers in the hardware stores because temperature control is so much easier (and that's because smoke and heat go up, not sideways).

Made of rugged 1/8" thick aluminum, 20" long, with four serious rivets, mine show zero signs of weakness after years of abuse. I use them on meats, hot charcoal, burning logs, and with the mechanical advantage that the scissor design creates, I can easily pick up a whole packer brisket. Click here to read more.

Mo's Smoking Pouch is essential for gas grills. It is an envelope of mesh 304 stainless steel that holds wood chips or pellets. The airspaces in the mesh are small enough that they limit the amount of oxygen that gets in so the wood smokes and never bursts into flame. Put it on top of the cooking grate, on the burners, on the coals, or stand it on edge at the back of your grill. It holds enough wood for about 15 minutes for short cooks, so you need to refill it or buy a second pouch for long cooks like pork shoulder and brisket. Mine has survived more than 50 cooks. Click for more info.

The same knives used at Peter Luger, Smith & Wollensky, and Morton's. Machine washable, high-carbon stainless steel, hardwood handle. And now they have the AmazingRibs.com imprimatur. Click for more info.

If You Have A Weber Kettle You Absolutely Need A Smokenator

The Smokenator + The PartyQ Thermostat =
An Amazing Setup

This is a really nifty addition to the Weber Kettle, especially in concert with the Smokenator. The PartyQ controls the temp in the cooker by controlling the oxygen that reaches the coals.

PartyQ is a battery operated fan connected to a thermometer probe that you clip to the grate near the meat. Set the target temp, and it shuts off the air supply when the temp gets above it, and when it drops below, the fan supplies air to the coals.

To make it work, you close the bottom air intake vents, on your kettle, leaving the top exhaust vents open, and if the bottom vents are pretty tight, and the lid is snug, the PartyQ controls the oxygen supply to the coals. If the lid is not tight, and the bottom vents don't close tight, air will get in and make it difficult for the PartyQ to do its job.

You need to drill a hole in the Kettle to mount it. If the Smokenator is at 12:00, mount the PartyQ at 3:00, 6:00, or 9:00. Don't get too close to the coals so the heat can't melt the plastic in the PartyQ. Drill the hole a few inches below the cooking grate. Don't get too close to the bottom or else ash will get into the fan and blow on your food. Drop the thermometer probe cable through the top vent holes or drill a lole for it too. You can run it under the lid, but this can let in too much air and you can damage the cable. Clip it to the cooking grates about 2" away from the meat because there is a cool air bubble around the meat.

The Hovergrill increases the cooking surface on Weber Kettles and it can also be used to lift coals for searing steaks

Made by the Smokenator people, this is a quality stainless steel grate with legs can do three great things for your cooking.

1) It stands on top of your Weber Kettle's cooking grate pretty much doubling its capacity.

2) I place it below the cooking grate when I cook steaks because I want to raise the charcoal to right below the cooking surface to get max heat focused on the meat. Click here to read more about making steakhouse quality steaks.

Smoke EZ Grill Conversion Kit

Here's another clever way to turn your inexpensive Weber Kettle into a smoker. The Smoke EZ kit contains a large powder coated 20 gauge steel ring that sits between the lid of your kettle and the bottom. Powder coating is pretty durable and should protect the ring from rust for years. Inside the ring are brackets to hold two standard round Weber grates or if you prefer, their hangar rack that allows you to hang whole fish, ribs, sausage, hams or food up to 22" long.

In the bottom half of the Kettle you place a fire ring and pour the coals around it in a C shape. You light a few coal on one end with a FireStarter Cube and the C shape of coals burns slowly and gently around the ring for long low and slow cooks that last many hours. Then there is a water bowl/drip pan that you can set inside the ring to catch drips and add humidity to the environment.

Add this to a Weber One Touch Gold and you have an easy ash cleanout. The Smoke EZ has handles making removal of the center section easy, and they will come in handy on really long cooks because there is no door in the side to add charcoal or water as there is on the Weber Smokey Mountain. The fire ring configuration allows greater fuel capacity than the WSM.

The Vortex is a piece of 20 gauge 304 grade stainless steel shaped like a cone with its top cut off. It is designed to work in Weber Kettle and Kamado style cookers and can be used four different ways to create two zones of direct and indirect heat. The four setups are simple and straightforward. You can put charcoal inside the vortex or around the ourtside of the Vortex and you can set the Vortex in your cooker with the wide side up or down.

It is sturdy and should last just about forever. It does a great job of setting up two zones in a kettle cooker (I even use it in a Hasty Bake 256 Gourmet). The Vortex makes for a somewhat small but extremely hot sear zone. You'll need to flip a steak every 30 seconds, or less. It's also great for making wings or other small pieces of meat that can be set around the perimeter of the grate.

The Vortex is great for searing, but not so great for indirect cooking, certainly not as good as the Smokenator on a Weber Kettle. First, because of the shape of the Vortex it is hard to fit more than one hunk of meat in the indirect zone if you have pork butt, whole chicken, turkey, or brisket on the menu. Check out the photograph below and you tell me how to get another piece of meat in that cooker. The second thing we don't like is the limited water pan options using the Vortex. In the photo below you'll see the water pan is inside the Vortex. This limits the size of the water pan and prevents you from having separate water pans and drip pans. Finally, it is not very good as an indirect tool on a kamado because they distribute their heat so evenly.

Because of these limitations we find ourselves using the Vortex most often when we want to concentrate heat for searing. We should point out that Meathead's afterburner method, which uses a charcoal chimney, works just as well for searing. For low and slow smoking we feel you will be better served by the Smokenator. - David "Pit Boss" Parrish

"Using your techniques, and cooking on nothing more than a pair of Weber One-Touch Silver Kettles equipped with Smokenators, our team finished 4th overall out of 44 at an International Barbeque Cookers Association (ICBA) sanctioned event!" Martin Alex Hambrick, House Divided BBQ Team

For less than $70 you can easily convert a standard Weber Kettle into a smoker capable of making restaurant quality smoked ribs, pork shoulder, brisket, turkey, or salmon. If you have a limited budget or limited deck space, there is no need to buy a standalone smoker.

First thing you need to know is that you should not rely on the manual. It gives bad advice. This page should be your new manual.

Here's how this deceptively simple gadget works: The Smokenator is a simple piece of bent 18 gauge stainless steel that inserts into the lower half of the kettle. You can place meat on the lower and the upper rack so it is possible you can get eight to 10 slabs on at once. Then you put some hot charcoal in the Smokenator, some wood chunks on top of them, and some water in the water cup. If you have something drippy like a pork butt, put a drip pan under it. Add water if you like.

Put the lid on, adjust the dampers, and go drink a beer. The Smokenator will pump out aromatic smoke and just the right low and slow temp for hours. I had no trouble keeping the temp under 250°F on a 100°F day. The thick steel plate blocks your meat from direct exposure to the flames becoming a large flat radiator providing indirect heat. The water bowl puts moisture in the oven which helps develop the smoke ring. Keep in mind that this is a "hot" smoker so it can't do cold smoking for things like lox or cheese. But it can do just about anything else the fancy-schmancy smokers do. A very clever, inexpensive gadget that actually works as advertised.

I also use it for cooking thick steaks with the reverse sear. I start the meat in the indirect side, just a few pellets in the Smokenator with the coals, and I slowly warm the meat to about 115°F, getting the interior perfectly even colored. Then I take the steak off for a few moments, lift the grill grate, remove the smokenator, and place the steak right over the hot coals to sear the exterior. Click here to learn more about the reverse sear.

I have also left the Smokenator empty and put the coals against the other side and placed a steak above the empty Smokenator for a low slow roast before the sear in the rear.

Smokenator setup and tips

If you have a Weber Kettle grill, you need a Smokenator. The Smokenator may be the best accessory for the Weber Kettle ever. It turns an $89 grill into a $400 smoker for about $70.

Here are some tips for success. Special thanks to Alex Hambrick of House Divided BBQ Team in Texasfor several of these tips. Alex wins money on the competition circuit with the Smokenator competing against teams with $10,000 smokers.

Before you start cooking, calibrate your tool. Do some dry runs without meat so you know what it is actually doing and how it reacts to changing vent openings and when coals burn down. Start by reading my article on calibrating and seasoning your new grill or smoker.

The Smokenator manual says "Insert a Taylor candy thermometer or a bi-metal thermometer into one of the upper vent openings." Do not use a thermometer in the dome unless you plan to eat the dome. The side of the grill with the Smokenator will be hot, the side without will be much cooler. The temp in the dome will be a blend of the two. In addition, the temp on the bottom rack will be about 50°F lower than the temp on the top rack and that will be different than in the dome. You must always measure the air temp where the meat will be. It is the meat that you are cooking, after all.

Besides, bi-metal dial thermometers, especially the $10 variety are usually absolute pure junk. They are often off by 50°F or more. You absolutely must use a good digital oven thermometer to get this baby under control. Once you've done that you can smoke as well as any of the big units. Click here to read my buyer's guide to thermometers.

Use a probe with a cable and drop the probe through the vent holes in the top, not under the lid. Snaking it under the lid will allow in air. Better still, drill a small hole in the side of your kettle just above the grate on the side opposite the Smokenator so you can slide the probe in there. While you're at it drill another hole just above the lower grate for when you cook down there.

If the temp drops below your target or about every 30 minutes, use the skewer they supply to stir the coals and knock off ash, add unlit charcoals to fill it back up, and top off the water pan. The unlit coals will create smoke so you may not need to add wood. And, no, unlit charcoal will not make your food taste bad unless you use the stuff that has accelerant in it like Match-Light. Read my article on The Science of Charcoal.

Remove all ash before using the Smokenator.

A charcoal grill uses two fuels, charcoal and oxygen. You need to figure out how to control them to get the right temp, usually 225°F or 325°F depending on the food.

Open the top vent halfway and leave it there for your first dry run. Never close the top vent all the way. Start with the bottom vent open all the way. Control the oxygen with the bottom vent only since it feeds oxygen to the coals. Try not to close the bottom more than halfway. If your lid is bent, it is letting air in and you can't control temp. Get a new lid.

The air temp outside the grill, rain, and wind can drastically impact the internal temp. You cannot rely on the settings in the manual. It was written by people in San Jose, CA, where the weather is always beautiful. The colder the day, the more lit coals you need to use. On hot days use a mix of lit coals and unlit coals. You can put hot coals on top of unlit coals or visa versa, it doesn't make much of a difference. But beware, unlit coals produce more smoke, so you will need less wood.

Don't use lump charcoal. It varies from bag to bag and you need consistent heat. There is also too much dust in lump bags and dust impedes airflow in the Smokenator. Also, with briquest you can count them and this helps you control temp. Smokenators tend to run hot so I recommend Kingsford Blue Bag charcoal because it does not burn as hot as the Kingsford Competition (brown bag). Pick one charcoal and stick with it.

Remove the water pan and fogeddaboutit. It takes up too much space within the Smokenator. You need that space for charcoal so you can get longer burns. Instead you will put a larger capacity pan on the grate above the Smokenator. Use a baking pan or a disposable aluminum pan.

Turn the Smokenator around backwards and stack the coals neatly like bricks against the side of the kettle. If you do it this way you can get in many more briquets and that will extend your burn time. Then remove 12 briquets to be used to light in a chimney. Wait until they are coated white. Turn the Smokenator around and put it in place with the holes above the coals. Pour the lit coals through the holes. Put two wood chunks, roughly about golf ball size, not chips, on top of the lit coals. Mojobricks, which are made from compressed sawdust are great for this purpose. Read my article on the Science of Wood.

Top it off with more unlit coals if there is room, add the grate, add the water pan and fill it with hot water, boiling if possible, close the lid, and start watching the temp. Adjust the lower vent. Try not to touch the top vent, and never close it more than 3/4. Read my article on controlling temps with vents. Take notes with my cooking log. If it runs too hot, next time use fewer hot coals and/or close the lower vents. Learn your tool.

You can put food on both the food grate and the lower charcoal grate but beware that the temp down there is usually about 50°F cooler.

Cook on the upper grate most of the time, but if it is running hot, use the lower grate.

You can use rib racks, but don't crowd them. There must be airflow between the slabs of meat. Click here to read my article on Cooking More Than One.

The more cold food in the grill, the colder the air temp in the grill will be so you will need more fuel in the form of lit coals or air or both.

Fill the water pan with hot water, not beer, wine, juice, etc. They don't penetrate the meat. They just waste money. Click here to read more. Use hot water, the hotter the better, so the energy from the charcoal isn't wasted heating the water. Don't skip the water, it helps keep the temp from spiking and dipping. Fill the water pan whenever it gets low.

When you lift the lid, lift it straight up and don't tilt it. That will trap much of the heat under the hood and recovery will be faster when you put it back on. Click here to read the debunking of "lookin you ain't cookin".

Keep the lid on tight. If you are having temp control problems, chances are you are leaking too much. Air flow control is vital. If you see a lot of leakage under the lid, go buy four or five 1.5" binder clips in your office supply store. They'll hold it tight.

Combine the Smokenator with a PartyQ thermostat and you have one helluva machine! Click the link to read more about the PartyQ and how to mount it to a Weber Kettle.

Hambrick has a clever way of dealing with a common problem, when the temp starts to drop and there aren't many lit coals left. "For longer smokes I put the food on the bottom grate. If you waited too long and there's not enough coal on the bottom, no worries. Just fill a chimney up with 10 to 15 coals, light it, and wait until they are gray.

"With heavy gloves I take out the Smokenator, flip it around, and tent the meat with the Smokenator. This keeps it warm while I fire up the new coals. This is why I use the bottom grate for the food, it makes it super easy just to flip the Smokenator around and rest it on the inside of the grill over the meat.

"Using a metal garden trowel or tongs, I scoop up all the lit coals and drop them in the chimney or in the lid to store them, which keeps the lid nice and warm. I give the ash scraper a few go-arounds to clear out all the ash, and then take the Smokenator off the meat and put it back in position. Now I treat it like an empty Smokenator: I fill it up with unlit coals and wood, and then using the trowel or tongs, I place the lit coals from the lid/chimney on top of all the unlit ones."

If you have a Smokenator, what advice do you offer? Tell us below:

Please read this before posting a comment or question

1) Please use the table of contents or the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help, then please post your question on the appropriate page.

2) Please tell us everything we need to know to answer your question such as the type of cooker and thermometer you are using. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can't help you. Please read this article about thermometers.

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About this website. AmazingRibs.com is all about the science of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes, tips on technique, and unbiased equipment reviews. Learn how to set up your grills and smokers properly, the thermodynamics of what happens when heat hits meat, as well as hundreds of excellent tested recipes including all the classics: Baby back ribs, spareribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, steaks, barbecue sauces, spice rubs, and side dishes, with the world's best buying guide to barbecue smokers, grills, accessories, and thermometers, edited by Meathead.

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